A recent report which showed that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) IT systems are “outdated” has sparked fresh concerns about African swine fever (ASF).
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report, published last week, determined that Defra’s IT systems were “outdated and difficult to use”, as well as being too reliant on paper forms or documents.
Chief policy advisor of the National Pig Association (NPA), Rebecca Veale, said the association and its members are concerned about what the report’s findings might mean for Defra’s ability to prevent and control disease risks – specifically in relation to ASF.
The NPA called on the department to “address the shortfalls of their IT systems” to be adequately prepared for potential disease outbreaks.
“We believe Defra should address the shortfalls of their IT systems in order to be best placed to respond quickly and robustly to control, and then eradicate any notifiable disease outbreak in this country and undertake the important syndromic surveillance work,” she said.
“The avian influenza outbreaks over the last few years have put Defra and APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) under continued strain, and we do question their ability to respond to more than one notifiable disease outbreak at a time given their limited resource – a concern that we as NPA have raised on numerous occasions.
“Our key concern is the risk that ASF poses to the British herd given the challenge the disease presents in mainland Europe.”
Veale said that Defra’s main priority should be ensuring that its systems are “fit for purpose” to put the minds of those in agricultural and associated sectors at ease.
Animal disease risk
PAC deputy chair, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said Defra’s outdated systems cannot continue to operate as they do.
“Defra’s IT systems are so outmoded and disconnected – where they exist at all, instead of paper forms – that in some cases the professionals who keep our food, water and air safe have been forced to buy obsolete equipment just to fill in the forms to fulfil their regulatory responsibilities,” he said.
“We are facing down rapidly spreading animal diseases, maybe the next pandemic, with systems that may rely on moving paper forms around. This cannot continue.
“We on the PAC will also not accept a situation where Defra spends hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money on a disjointed upgrade programme only to find that it no longer fits the structure of new systems of air quality monitoring, food and clean water supply in this country.
“It’s time for a complete overhaul at Defra, with a concurrent, pro-active digital strategy that matches every step.”
Defra
Defra has said that it is “taking steps” to enhance its cybersecurity and protect its IT systems against threats.
In its response to the report, it said it recognised the “vital importance of cybersecurity” and cited its plans to invest more than £870 million in improving infrastructure and digital systems, reducing its dependency on legacy technology and rolling out new security training.
